1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to medical catheter apparatus and, more particularly, to a catheter that facilitates bi-directional fluid flow and resolves occlusion during use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some known catheters are tubular, flexible medical devices for administration of fluids (withdrawal, introduction, etc.) with cavities, ducts, vessels, etc. of a body. Typically, catheter devices are inserted with the cavity of a body via a sheath, stylet, trocar, etc.
These catheter devices may be employed for administration of fluids that includes the simultaneous introduction and withdrawal of fluid for applications such as, surgery, treatment, diagnosis, etc. In one particular hemodialysis application, blood is withdrawn from a blood vessel for treatment by an artificial kidney device and the treated blood is introduced back into the blood vessel.
Various known catheter devices have been employed for simultaneous withdrawal and introduction of fluid with a body. Some devices utilize multiple lumens, such as dual lumen catheters that facilitate bi-directional fluid flow whereby one lumen is dedicated for performing withdrawal of blood and the other lumen is dedicated for introducing treated blood to the vessel. During an exemplary hemodialysis procedure, a multiple lumen catheter is inserted into a body and blood is withdrawn through an arterial lumen of the catheter. This blood is supplied to a hemodialysis unit which dialyzes, or cleans, the blood to remove waste and excess water. The dialyzed blood is returned to the patient through a venous lumen of the catheter. Typically, the venous lumen is separated from the arterial lumen by an inner catheter wall, called a septum.
Typically the arterial lumen is located upstream (closer to the heart of the body) from the venous lumen to ensure that the processed blood is not recirculated immediately back to the hemodialysis unit. Recirculation of blood flow occurs when the dialyzed blood exiting the venous lumen is directly returned to the arterial lumen. The more blood that does immediately recirculate, the less efficient the hemodialysis procedure.
Another complication of hemodialysis catheters is flow occlusion. Common causes of occlusion are fibrin sheath formation, thrombus formation and positional occlusion. Flow occlusion is primarily caused by blockage of the arterial lumen. Resolving poor flow is required to deliver the dialysis treatment to the patient. Current measures taken to resolve flow occlusion, include repositioning the patient, flushing the lumens and reversing the blood lines of the catheter to the hemodialysis unit.
With positional occlusion of the catheter, there can be difficulty in removing blood from the patient. For example, a tip of the catheter has, to some extent, freedom of movement inside the patient, and this can cause occlusion. As a result, the clinician must resolve any interruption in flow to allow continuance of patient treatment. One solution for resolving positional occlusion of blood flow is to reverse flow of the lumens of the catheter at the associated blood line of the hemodialysis unit, which withdraws and introduces blood flow using a pump. This allows the treatment to continue, however, the amount of recirculated blood is increased. Changing flow on current catheters involves decoupling and recoupling the lines, increases clinician handling of the catheter and increases the opportunity for microbial contamination and infection, as well as extending the time of the dialysis treatment. This results in various drawbacks including increased cost and discomfort for the patient.
Therefore, it would be desirable to overcome the disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art with a catheter that employs a tubular body having an integral hub and a valve that facilitates bi-directional fluid flow to resolve occlusion. It would be desirable if the integral hub is manipulable to rotate the valve such that fluid flow in the body of the catheter is reversible. It would be highly desirable if the valve is releasably lockable with the tubular body to facilitate fluid flow and achieve the principles of the present disclosure. It is contemplated that the catheter and its constituent parts are easily and efficiently manufactured and assembled.